F-22 Raptor still seen as most capable fifth generation fighter in the world

The F-22 Raptor, with its combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance and mission systems, is still seen as the most capable fifth generation fighter in the world.

The single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather tactical stealth fighter, which entered service in 2005 and is expected to serve into the 2030s, is the world's first mass-produced fifth generation fighter jet developed by the US Air Force.

It is also the first air superiority fighter to use stealth technology.

The USAF's F-22 Raptor fleet is made up of 195 advanced tactical fighters, eight of which have been designated as test planes.

As a product of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) programme, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter. It also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare and signals intelligence capabilities.

"The Air Force has relied on F-22 deployments to improve combined tactical air operations, enhance interoperability of forces and deter potential threats for the past 15 years," Lt. Col. Michael Kendall, 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, said last August, after the deployment of F-22s to Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Raptor capabilities allow us to provide air superiority and dominance, rapidly and at great distances," he said.

The F-22 Raptor's air superiority capabilities are ahead of those of other modern fighters, such as the F-35 Lightning, F-15EX Eagle II, Eurofighter Typhoon and the French air force's Dassault Rafale.

The F-22 has the ability to fluidly move across the theatre to seize, retain and exploit an adversary, ultimately presenting layers of operational unpredictability to an adversary's strategic decision making, the USAF said.

The F-22's high cruise speed and operating altitude enhance the effectiveness of its sensors and weapon systems, and increase survivability against ground defences such as surface-to-air missiles.

Significant advances in its cockpit design and sensor fusion also improve the pilot's situational awareness.

The F-22 engines produce more thrust than any other fighter engine does.

The combination of sleek aerodynamic design and increased thrust allows the aircraft to cruise at supersonic air speeds (greater than 1.5 Mach) without using afterburner -- a characteristic known as supercruise.

This makes its speed and range greater than any of the current fighters, which must use fuel-consuming afterburner to operate at supersonic speeds.

Recent deployments

In May, an unspecified number of the fifth generation aircraft were redeployed to Amari Air Base in Estonia as part of NATO's Air Shielding mission, to deter aggression in the Baltic Sea region.

Twelve Raptors were initially deployed to Poland's Powidz Air Base in April.

The Estonia operation was described as an "Agile Combat Employment" (ACE) deployment.

ACE refers to an operational concept in which the USAF rapidly deploys to an area and conducts dispersed, sustained operations using networks of well-established and austere air bases, pre-positioned equipment and airlift.

Earlier last year, a squadron of F-22 Raptors was deployed to al-Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates in response to a volley of attacks in January blamed on Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

The deployment was part of a "multifaceted demonstration of US support", the USAF said at the time.